How common it is
早期 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say zǎoqī slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“早期”指的是事情刚开始的时候。比如，植物的早期是种子发芽的时候。
“Zǎoqī” zhǐ de shì shìqíng gāng kāishǐ de shíhou. Bǐrú, zhíwù de zǎoqī shì zhǒngzi fāyá de shíhou.
“早期” refers to the beginning stage of something. For example, the early stage of a plant is when the seed sprouts.
Context note
我们可以用“早期”来说一个人的小时候，或者一个项目的开始阶段。比如，早期学习很重要。
Wǒmen kěyǐ yòng “zǎoqī” lái shuō yī gè rén de xiǎo shíhou, huòzhě yī gè xiàngmù de kāishǐ jiēduàn. Bǐrú, zǎoqī xuéxí hěn zhòngyào.
We can use “早期” to talk about someone's childhood or the beginning phase of a project. For example, early learning is very important.
5 examples
早期教育对小朋友很有帮助。
zǎo qī jiào yù duì xiǎo péng yǒu hěn yǒu bāng zhù。
Early education is very helpful for children.
这种花在早期需要多浇水。
zhè zhǒng huā zài zǎo qī xū yào duō jiāo shuǐ。
This kind of flower needs more water in the early stage.
早期发现生病可以早点治疗。
zǎo qī fā xiàn shēng bìng kě yǐ zǎo diǎn zhì liáo。
Early detection of illness allows for earlier treatment.
这个项目在早期遇到了很多困难。
zhè ge xiàng mù zài zǎo qī yù dào le hěn duō kùn nán。
This project encountered many difficulties in the early stage.
早期阅读能帮助孩子学习语言。
zǎo qī yuè dú néng bāng zhù hái zi xué xí yǔ yán。
Early reading can help children learn language.
5 mini stories
小明的早期学习是从听故事开始的。他每天听妈妈讲故事。
xiǎo míng de zǎo qī xué xí shì cóng tīng gù shì kāi shǐ de。 tā měi tiān tīng mā ma jiǎng gù shì。
Xiao Ming's early learning started with listening to stories. He listened to his mom tell stories every day.
这棵树的早期只是一颗小种子。后来它长成了大树。
zhè kē shù de zǎo qī zhǐ shì yì kē xiǎo zhǒng zi。 hòu lái tā cháng chéng le dà shù。
The early stage of this tree was just a small seed. Later it grew into a big tree.
小红的早期绘画很简单，只有线条。现在她画得很好。
xiǎo hóng de zǎo qī huì huà hěn jiǎn dān， zhǐ yǒu xiàn tiáo。 xiàn zài tā huà dé hěn hǎo。
Xiao Hong's early drawings were very simple, just lines. Now she draws very well.
早期的小狗需要很多照顾。它们要喝奶和睡觉。
zǎo qī de xiǎo gǒu xū yào hěn duō zhào gù。 tā men yào hē nǎi hé shuì jiào。
Puppies in the early stage need a lot of care. They need to drink milk and sleep.
这个游戏在早期只有几个关卡。后来增加了更多。
zhè ge yóu xì zài zǎo qī zhǐ yǒu jǐ gè guān qiǎ。 hòu lái zēng jiā le gèng duō。
This game had only a few levels in the early stage. Later, more were added.